


Lion's Rest/Wolf's Pride

by Onity



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Anduin needs sleep, Family, Gen, Reunion, Shadowlands, both based on the same premise, second one is more AU, two oneshots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:55:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25538416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onity/pseuds/Onity
Summary: Oneshot 1 "Lion's Rest" : Anduin takes a walk to escape his worries while in Bastion, only to find a pride of lions, and a wolf.Oneshot 2 "Wolf's Pride": Anduin was killed by the Divine Bell, and Varian by the Burning Legion. Varian awakes in the afterlife, traveling the Shadowlands searching for his family.One day he finds a lone lion cub.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Two short oneshots written during 8.3, so ignore the details of canon. I want reunion fic.

-...-

Lion's Rest

-...-

Escaping the torture of the Maw left Anduin exhausted, but appearing in Bastion kept the 19 year old king from gaining proper rest. There was so much work to be done to gain the help of the souls of Bastion, to prepare to re-engage with the Maw, to find Sylvanas, to find Tyrande, to reconnect with the living on Azeroth. And, this all said, Anduin still had yet to address the overflow of coins in his pouch already, his breakdown was imminent.

He’d had no time to release his stress since before his father died, and it was beginning to change who he was for the worse. 

In between his tours of Bastion with the blue angel spirits known as Kyrian, in between his meetings with Bolvar and Jaina, Thrall and Baine, on their next course of actions, Anduin disappeared from the main hubs, and took walks to focus on himself. 

He knew these walks were doing nothing to lighten the load of the stress coins that weighed on him, but he enjoyed exploring the new lands of Bastion, watching the beautiful plant and animal life- life? He wasn’t really sure what he’d call them, but the afterlife really did look alive. 

He found himself following a path across planes, small hills home to unicorns, deer, flying fluffy snake looking things. All shared similar color pallets, white, blue, yellow. It was all so breathtaking, and it was a sight he needed considering how long he was forced to take in the dark and evil scenery of the Maw. 

Walking over a small hill, he saw a small pit of a valley come into view. He enjoyed the wind in his hair, but noticed that the animal life on this side of the hill was not as diverse. Instead, he saw, appeared to be a family of big cats sharing this side of the hill. He dared not to step closer, he had no idea how life and death worked in death, if they were dangerous, if he should turn back now. 

But his arrival had been noticed, and from the lion pride, all resting in their blue and white and yellow fur, a tuft of dark blue fur looked over the crowd. Anduin realized that a wolf resided among the lions, and it stared at him, yellow eyes glowing intently. 

Anduin stepped back, knowing that being within a wild wolf’s sight was never good, and yet he hesitated to run. Even when the wolf made it’s way around the lions. The wolf began with a quick trot, yet as it started up the hill Anduin stood on, it broke out into a sprint. Behind the wolf, a female lion had also left the comfort of the pride to inspect their visitor. 

Anduin felt his heart freeze as the wolf circled him, sniffing him, the Lioness doing so as well. They didn’t seem to be threatening at all, instead accepting him and rubbing their heads eagerly against his legs. It all seemed so bizarre, and Anduin wondered if he’d needed the champions to fetch him more drinkable water. He looked up to see that some of the lions in the pride were watching, silently.

Anduin heard a huff, and looked down to see the wolf and lioness sitting before him, looking up at him, impeicient.

And then Anduin realized why they wanted his attention.

The wolf’s scars. 

Anduin remembered, briefly, one of the Kyrian telling him on their tour about the different forms the dead can take when entering the afterlife, and that they can choose what form they want to represent themselves. 

Tears poured down Anduin’s face as he collapsed to his knees, wrapping his arms around the wolf and pulling it into a tight hug. 

“FATHER!” Anduin screamed, his cries muffled in the wolf’s long ruffled fur. 

Anduin felt the wolf shift, licking at Anduin’s tears, as if telling him it was okay. Anduin’s crying wasn’t stopped, but he let out a few good laughs and pulled away to look at his father again. 

The wolf turned to the lioness, and they rubbed their heads together. Anduin’s eyes widened as he realized what his father was trying to tell him, and he looked to the lioness and gasped.

“Mother?!”

The Lioness nearly pounced on Anduin, rubbing her head against Anduin’s, licking away his tears, giving him all the love she wish she could have in life. 

Anduin cherished every second of the two comforting him, welcoming him, loving him. He had no idea how much he needed this. Needed to see them.

He sat up, petting the lioness’ head, turning to the wolf. 

“I’ve been so tired, father.” Anduin said, the exhaustion crippling his voice. Both the lioness and wolf noticed this. 

The wolf walked behind Anduin, and attempted to push Anduin forward. Anduin got up, then watched as the two tried leading him towards the pride. 

He followed without question. 

-...-

“Are we sure he went this way?”

Thrall seemed unsure of the path they took, however Jaina trusted the Kyrian that pointed them this way. The spirit said Anduin walked down this path, he had to be somewhere. 

The two tried not to think of the possibility he wasn’t there. That he’d gotten into trouble, or that he was kidnapped by Sylvanas again, or-

“I don’t know!” Jaina cried, tried and unbelievably worried for her nephew. 

Thrall frowned, knowing that Jaina was at her edge. She’d told him about Anduin’s declining mental health, somewhat, while also catching Bolvar up on some personal events he may not have known. Thrall had no idea the young human struggled so much, though the more he thought of it, the easier it was to understand.

Jaina feared for Anduin, and each time he went missing it drove her sick with worry. 

Thrall placed his hand on her shoulder, attempting to comfort her. 

“Come, we still have path before us.”

Jaina nodded her head, and the two followed the rolling hills.

The wildlife, if that’s what you called it, was beautiful, the land breathtaking. Thrall tried to focus on it, but knew that Jaina could not. Not now. 

They come over a small hill, more of the land coming into view before them. 

They froze, in the distance a sleeping pride of lions. 

“Is that-”

In the middle of the lions, with a lioness at his side, and a wolf supporting his head, was Anduin. 

Jaina rushed forward, but Thrall stopped her. She looked back angrily at him, but Thrall pointed. 

Anduin was asleep, as was the lions, the lioness, and the wolf. 

It was a peaceful scene, and Thrall did not want to wake them. Jaina too realized this, and stepped back to watch from a distance. 

“I believe he will find his way back in due time.” Thrall said quietly. “He is not in danger.”

Jaina sighed, nodding her head. “Of course.”

They’d hope to find Anduin due to another meeting with the Kyrian, but the two decided that Anduin was not mandatory for that meeting, and when he found his way back, they would fill him in. 

For now, they turned back, letting the lions rest. 

-...-


	2. Wolf's Pride

-...-

Wolf’s Pride

-...-

If you were to ask Varian, though he died fighting the Burning Legion, facing Gul’dan, his true death happened years before. 

Anduin, his only son, his pride and joy, the only thing that motivated him to get up everyday, was killed facing the horrid Warchief Garrosh Hellscream, crushed under the weight of the Divine Bell. 

Since then, Varian was but a shell of his former self, struggling with the desires of revenge and wanting to preserve Anduin in any way he can, even if it meant forgiving his killers. 

He struggled, too, knowing that this was the end for his family. He had no desire to have another child, the Wrynn line was dead. 

He knew, deep down, that all of the Horde was not to blame, that it was Garrosh and Garrosh alone, but his mind filled with what-ifs every day, wondering if there had been anything the Horde could have done differently to save Anduin from needing to face Garrosh in the first place.

He realized, too, that there was a lot HE could have done differently. 

The Horde knew they walked a fine line, listened almost without objection to his demands, and returned to aid the Alliance, to aid Azeroth, when the Burning Legion came. 

They had not meant to abandon the Alliance, their own warchief was on death’s door, and Varian knew that, had come to peace with that. 

And now he was dead. 

He’d felt a burning pain, and then all went away. He felt nothing, saw nothing. He was nothing. 

And then he woke to a being in front of him, her beauty indescribable, her voice clear and cut. 

She told him who he was, who he had been in life, and where he would be in the afterlife. 

She gave him a choice. 

Varian got to choose the form he took in the afterlife, be it one reflecting his human life, his soul, or something entirely new. 

“Do not worry,” The voice reassured. “No matter your form, your loved ones will recognize you.”

Varian did not need to think much, for the voice continued. 

“It seems you’ve received a wolf spirit’s blessing.” The voice said, and appearing before Varian, a form of a wolf appeared, with matching scars, and dark long fur. “How does this form feel?”

Varian nodded his head, accepting it, and everything went away again. 

When he awoke, he was a lone wolf, in unfamiliar lands. He did not hesitate, beginning his search for his family. 

-...-

It wasn’t easy to cross lands, and there were many souls who gave Varian trouble. That said, he enjoyed exploring, enjoyed the challenge, the peace that death gave him. 

He’d found himself deep within the dark blue forests of Ardenwald when a strange noise stopped him. In the distance, following the path he was on, was a cub. 

A lion cub. 

The lion cub was playing around with blue wisps, swatting at them, rolling around in the dirt. His fur was dirty, messy, and he was covered in scars. Too many scars for his age. 

Varian took a step closer, the lion cub sensing his presence and freezing, blue eyes wide at the much larger, scarier looking wolf. All that seemed to move for a long moment was the wind between them. 

Varian walked closer, watching the lion cub’s ears dip downward, yet not dare run and hide. It watched, fearful, but brave. 

He stopped, a few feet away, to see the Lion’s tail begin to wag, his ears turn upwards, his entire demeanor change. 

With a cute little roar, the cub jumped up, attempting to take down the wolf. It’s playful growing, mewling, and roaring made Varian snort, and he let the cub tackle him. 

When the cub rubbed it’s head up against Varian’s head, he heard a voice. 

‘Father!’

The wolf froze, watching the cub closely. 

And then he realized, the cub was his son, and his son had recognized him. 

Varian pushed his head back against the cub, responding, calling out Anduin’s name, and then proceeded to maul the young cub with cuddles of his own. He swore he heard the little lion laugh.

By the time Varian had tired himself out, he had his large paws wrapped around the cub, the two rubbing their heads together. Then, the cub pulled itself out of the wolf’s grip, pawing at the ground and groaning as it complained over the wolf’s tight hold. Varian released the cub, watching it walk a few steps forward and then turn to motion Varian to follow. 

Varian did, following behind as the lion cub lead him deeper into the forests, wisps watching from afar quietly. 

They traveled about a mile before they came upon a small clearing. 

The wolf looked out to find many other souls, animals, largely lions. They seemed to recognize him as well, a lioness meeting the little cub with a headbutt and then turning to see Varian. She stood, confused for a moment, the cub mewling to her something, and then suddenly the lioness was all over the wolf. 

‘Varian!’

It was Tiffin, and as Varian began to realize, this was where his family was. 

He and the lioness circled each other, greatly missing one another, rubbing their heads together. 

Varian had found his family, being reunited with the wolf’s pride. 

-...-


End file.
